Zergas
The Goblin known as '''Zergas '''was born the eldest son of a chieftan in what was at the time Goblin territory in the northern Flatlands. His early life was dominated by Dragonborn attempts to take the land that he viewed as Goblin by right, which they had taken during the War of the Ensimmäinen some 300 years earlier. Through ruthlessness and cunning he was able to join together all of the disparate Goblin factions under his banner and waged a war of conquest over the entire Flatlands. He was able to take control over almost all the Flatlands as well as parts of modern day Bardaria and Grey Wall. The Great Alliance formed in opposition to him and was eventually able to defeat him and scatter his armies. Early Life and Unification Zergas was born the eldest son of Zorgos, one of the major chiefs of the Southern Goblin Nation, who held much of the land in the Northen Flatlands. Zergas' strength and cunning was evident from a very young age and it was hoped he would lead the tribe to even greater wealth and power. When he was a young man his father was killed in a skirmish with dragonborn troops which helped fuel his lifelong hatred for the dragonborn. He was able to arrange an alliance with the most powerful Northern Goblin tribe through marriage, and unified the two tribes. He then made a call to all Goblins to join him to destroy the Dragonborn and take the Flatlands for themselves. Most Goblin clans joined him willingly and he subdued those that resisted him with relative ease. He was officially recognised as the Lord of All Goblins at the 37th Grand council and began preperations for his invasion of the Flatlands. It is near this time that he has the Jegmekka, or Icesword, forged, as a dark reflection of the long lost Flamesword that had been so pivotal in the history of the Flatlands in the past. While not nearly as powerful as the Flamesword, the Icesword was still a formidable weapon that granted Zegas incredible strength and endurance in the field. Initial Conquest It took Zergas two years to train and ready his army for the invasion. While the dragonborn had had plenty of time to prepare, Zergas' speed and the size of his army meant he could push through the Flatlands in record time. It took him a few weeks to reach Khitaivaros and sack it, though it had been evacuated by the time he got there.While the Khitai chose to flee south rather than face him in open combat, many other houses did face him and all were defeated. The first serious opposition he faced was several weeks into his campaign the Dressol tribe gathered their armies to oppose him. While not as powerful as they once were they had a significant force raised againt him. However, they were utterly beaten and most of the Dressol line was wiped out. As his army continued to move south the great Dragonborn tribes met to decide what to do. The Khitai and the Krel agreed to merge their armies to face him in the feild, while the Pertol decided to hide in Osiváros, which they held at the time, and the Redgoti refused to lend their army to fight Zergas, prefering to fight on their own terms. Defeat of the Great Tribes and Sacking of Osiváros First the Redgoti attaked the Goblin Army at the Five Hills Plain, just west of the Sacred Mountain. The Redgoti were known for their fearlessness and battle prowess and the battle was very fierce. However, the Goblins had a much larger force and Zergas was a brilliant strategist. He pioneered the Goblin use of cavalry and used his armiy's superior mobility to encircle and annihilate the Redgoti army. After that he turned his attention to Osiváros. It had long stood as a testament to dragonborn power, built by the God-emperor the Ensimmäinen. Its walls were considered nigh unpenetrable and it had only ever fallen once in 300 years. He besieged the city for almost two years before its remaining garrison surrendered. He killed everyone inside the city and razed as much as he could to the ground, though he was unable to completly bring down the great walls, or the central tower. Due to the fact that much of the walls survived it came to be known as Zergas' Crown and the central Tower became a place of pilgramige over the next several centuries. The Khitai and Krel, seeing the power of Zergas' forces decided not to challenge him in open battle, but rather to adopt hit-and-run tactics to whittle his army down to the point where he could be challenged. They were able to slow his advance considerably, but were slowly pushed back to the point that most of the Flatlands and some areas outside it were under Zergas control and most of the population had to flee to the areas currently in Bardaria and Grey Wall. The Great Alliance Forms The so-called Great Alliance was largely the brainchild of Secult Harcos. A veteran of the the northern campaigns and having fought against and been defeated by Zergas' army several times he worked to grow the power to defeat Zergas. He forged alliances with the Elves and the humans across the sea and drew many powerful people to his cause. He convinced the Khitai and what was left of the Krel to give him control of their armies, and bolstered it with suplies from the Elven Lords and significant troops numbers from what is now Ruin. A large contingent of minotaurs led by Terbia the Hornless joined with his army, as did the ledgendary Greenwing Mercenary Company, led by Corgath the Invincible. The Vampire Lord Jonah Swift also provided significant troop numbers in exchange for access to the secret underground libraries of the Ensimmäinen which Harcos had discovered the locations of. Most of the great heores of the age joined him in some way or another. It is even said that the great wizard Protomane aided him at one point, though this is disputed since it is uncertain if Protomane was even still alive by this time. Final Years and Defeat Harcos was able to drive back the Goblin horde quite effectively. His army was more powerful that the Goblin one and he proved himself a very adept general. He won several major battles and drove the Goblins back to the very northern edge of the Flatlands. It was there, in the mid of winter, that Zergas made his last stand. At the Battle of Ice he attacked Harcos' forces from across a frozen lake and was able to inflict substantial losses. At one point the line was held solely by 15 members of the Greenwing Company, including Corgath, who withstood the Goblin attack long enough for Harcos to reorganise his lines and launch a counter-offensive. HIs minotaur forces smashed through the Goblin front line while his archers and the vampire company held Zergas' cavalry at bay. Then Zergas himself took to the feild, weilding the Icesword. He killed Terbia the Hornless, as well as the sorcerer Yolundo and the Elven Prince Queriel, and very nearly turned the tide of the battle. However, Jonah Swift then joined the fray. The intensity of the battle between Zergas and Swift forced both sides to retreat and the magical residue would remain in the area for decades. It is not known how long the fight took, but eventually Swift killed Zergas and emerged victorious. The Goblin army scattered and would be rounded up over the coming months. The Icesword, drained of a lot of its power, was gifted to Harcos who reforged into the Harcoskard and made it the symbol of his tribe. Legacy Following Zergas' defeat Goblin society devolved into tribalism and civil war and would not trouble dragonborn society again for almost 400 years. The Dragonborn tribes returned to the Flatlands and there was a breif period of peace and foreign relations greatly improved for a time, though this did not last. The war also established the Harcos as a major tribe in the Flatlands, as well as re-establishing the power and wealth of the Khitai, both of which would remain important players until the coming of Thulsa the Black. A wave of traditionalism also spread through dragonborn society, in contrast to the relatively progressive mindset that had dominated since the fall of the Ensimmäinen.